Satan is the
father of lies (John 8:44). Nowhere does this show up more than in how
he pictures himself and his minions. Much of what people think they know
about Satan and his demons comes not from Scripture but from sources
like Hollywood and Medieval tradition. One of Satan's chief ploys is,
of course, to convince us he does not exist. But the other false
pictures can contribute to this by saying if we cannot believe in them,
we cannot believe in him.
One
of Satan's other strategies is to portray himself as more powerful than
he actually is. This worked very effectively in the Middle Ages,
producing great fear and ultimately encouraging people to lash out at
those who were in some way painted as Satan's agents. Today in many
forms of media we have the demonic shown as powerful, and good as
marginal and barely competent. This need not involve direct reference
to demons but to other powerful supernatural beings. It can end up
making evil look empowering and liberating and good as hopeless. If
Satan can even get well-intentioned people to feel overwhelmed and
helpless, he has won a victory. But Scripture teaches he is a defeated
foe (Colossians 2:15; 1 John 4:4), who should treated with caution but
not cowered before (1 Peter 5:8,9; Ephesians 6:10-13).
His
opposite move, though, is to picture himself in a crude, simplistic
way--even a silly way. He becomes the guy in red tights with horns and a
tail or the blatant huckster who forthrightly asks, "Want to sell your
soul?" If this does not get people to dismiss the whole thing as silly,
it presents evil as obvious and easily avoided. It also can cause
people to see demonic forces as easily dealt with and their plans as
easily foiled. Even the common idea (which has no basis in Scripture)
that Satan and his minions are currently torturing the lost in hell can
make it seem he is off the scene on earth. But Scripture pictures him
as a clever schemer who can disguise himself and his followers as
promoters of good (2 Corinthians 11:13-15; 2:11) and who is in control
of this present world (2 Corinthians 4:4; Hebrews 2:14,15). We need to
be careful of underestimating Satan, but should trust in God's power to
deal with him (James 4:7). But we also need to avoid taking Satan's
pictures of himself as the truth.
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